Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡ (It felt like there was a lot of jumping around to me and I wanted the mains on page together more to be able to establish tension)
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋 (I prefer more explicitness, emotional pull, and development in my scenes. These were pretty short and brief and to the point)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑 (I was pretty shocked how short and brief sex was in this one – I thought it was going to be way hotter and more developed)
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: third person – the prologue and first chapter is from Derek’s POV (point of view), then from Obadiah and Adrienne. Later on there are some scenes from Cassandra as well.
More character focused or plot focused? plot
How did the speed of the story feel? fast
When mains are first on page together: takes a bit – about 11% (chapter 2 of 16)
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after for the main couple (leaves a few plot things open for the series, like what happens with Derek and the other mistresses)
Epilogue: Yes, 8 years or so later
Format: I read an e-book version through kindle unlimited
Why I chose this book: This author duo has been on my TBR since a takeover in Upturned Petticoats group awhile ago
Mains: The mains for this story are Adrienne and Obadiah and it’s a M/F relationship, both cishet. Derek is also kind of a main character that links the series together.

Should I read in order?
Definitely yes, start with this one.

Basic plot:
Adrienne needs protection after an almost assassination in broad daylight. Obadiah is the man for the job – if only his feelings for his former lover would stop getting in the way.

Give this a try if you want:
- late Georgian – 1826
- London setting
- hero is a captain’s sailing master and surgeon
- second chance
- body guard vibes
- shorter novel
- light steam – now there’s some variation here – I usually only count the ‘main’ couple in my steam and there’s only one full scene between the mains here. (And even that is pretty light) But if you’re more generous, there are 2 scenes between side characters (not a secondary romance) but also both of them are quite short….I honestly thought this book was going to be so much hotter than it was.

Ages:
- I don’t think they are mentioned, but the heroine is between 25 and 35 because that’s what Derek requested of his mistresses...

First line:
Every year he steeled himself against the memories.

My thoughts:
Sadly this one didn’t work the best for me but I do love the premise of it!

An earl has 5 mistresses and he has some stresses in life – part of that is keeping his mistresses safe and unaware of each other even though they are all neighbors. This story features Adrienne and her bodyguard Obadiah.

I thought the mistress’s relationships were hilarious and did rather enjoy Derek (the earl). He is the side character that holds the series together.

Now my struggles with this one was purely me – it had a number of things that make me struggle with a romance. Second chance is my least favorite trope. And there were quite a few characters introduced in this one being the first of the series. So I felt like the couple got lost a bit with having to set that up. There are a few different points of view here, while I prefer the main couple. Basically for me, the main couple got lost, and then when they were together, they had some relationship dynamics that aren’t my favorite in romance – their history is already established so there’s no tension and they are left with some level of resentment with each other. The hero also did some things that I didn’t love here.

I will definitely try another by these authors. I did think it was going to be way steamier than it was. The scenes themselves were quite light and short and I wasn’t expecting that. But I will try another at some point and think the next book in the series might be better because maybe there won’t be as much set up? We’ll see.

I think if you love second chance, don’t mind POV shifts, and want to see an Earl attempt to coral his various mistresses into happily ever afters you should give this one a go!

Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: This is my first for the author duo (first for both authors)
Average rating: 3 stars
Favorite book: This is my first novel

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- murder remembered
- blackmail
- scene of physical violence against the heroine (men accosted the heroine)
- some domestic violence between the mains – the heroine slaps him when he takes a kiss
- side character mentions working as a housekeeper on a sugar plantation in Jamaica
- kidnapping of the heroine (by blackmailer)
Author content warnings? Didn’t notice any

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:

 
Safe sex: 

  No. And the heroine tells him there can’t be a child and he blows it in her anyway. She tries to push him away quickly while he claims she belongs to him and any children they have. 

 
How’s the consent? 

  First kiss is taken unexpectedly and in anger and the heroine slaps the hero. The sex is consensual, but I think the way he blows it in her without consent is a trigger for those sensitive to that. 

 
Pregnancy/children in story? 

  They talk briefly about the possibility of kids when they have sex. The heroine wonders if she is pregnant because she’s late on her very regular courses. Then the heroine falls pregnant. Child is in the epilogue. 

 
11% - kiss
57% - 🔥 missionary
61% - sex between a maid and footman
68% - food play, bondage of the hero, fades
71% - Derek’s self pleasure (it’s rather short...)